Las Vegas Raiders NFL Combine Preview: Defensive Backs
The Las Vegas Raiders were present to see the first group of participants at the 2023 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. and will have the defensive backs up next to follow Thursday’s performance.
A total of 59 of the 319 prospects taking part at the combine are defensive backs, which should allow the Raiders to scout a large number of prospects ahead of the draft.
The combine will showcase a large group of defensive back prospects and give the Raiders a final look at the group collectively, before showcasing their skills individually at their Pro Days.
“The defenses are different. There's definitely a more complex, I'd say, defensive schematic game at the NFL level. And so, again, that goes just into someone's ability to learn, someone's work ethic, and did they have the tools both from a personal and a mental skill set to put the work in to learn it,” Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler said during the Combine.
The Raiders are in need of adding help in the secondary, and after a showcase of quick linebackers and defensive linemen, the Raiders might be expecting the second day group to have similar scores as the first group.
The full list of prospects attending the combine is listed here, but below are a few prospects the Raiders have talked to and will have a closer look during drills.
Deonte Banks, Maryland
Jordan Battle, Alabama
Jakorian Bennett, Maryland
Brian Branch, Alabama
Kei'Trel Clark, Louisville
Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
Riley Moss, Iowa
Clark Phillips III, Utah
Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
Eli Ricks, Alabama
Kelee Ringo, Georgia
Darius Rush, South Carolina
JL Skinner III, Boise State
Terell Smith, Minnesota
DJ Turner II, Michigan
SPEED: The Raiders saw a handful of defensive prospects run faster than the 4.4 frame. We might possibly see a few prospects looking to break the record in the 40-yard dash.
Bennett, Gonzalez and Turner are all good candidates to finish among the fastest in the Combine, but there are always a few that seize their moment and steal the show.
DRILLS: This is a great situation for safeties like Boise State’s Skinner and Alabama’s Battle to separate themselves from the cornerbacks.
If successful, the Raiders can possibly look at drafting one of the top safeties in the mid-rounds of the draft.
OVERALL: The depth at cornerback is ridiculous in this year’s draft, providing plenty of valuable depth that can be reached past the first round.
The Raiders need to fill other far more important spots on the roster with their earlier picks.
The defensive backs will begin their drills today, Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m PST, along with the special team specialists.
The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.
On March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.
March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. Starting at 12 p.m. EDT on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EDT on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15.
The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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